Orientation chamber of substrate processing system with purging function

ABSTRACT

An orientation chamber of a semiconductor substrate processing system is provided. The orientation chamber includes a substrate holder, an orientation detector, and a purging system. The substrate holder is configured to hold a substrate. The orientation detector is configured to detect the orientation of the substrate. The purging system is configured to inject a cleaning gas into the orientation chamber and remove contaminants from the substrate.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/691,918, filed on Jun. 29, 2018, the entirety ofwhich is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experiencedexponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and designhave produced generations of ICs where each generation has smaller andmore complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of ICevolution, functional density (i.e., the number of interconnecteddevices per chip area) has generally increased while geometric size(i.e., the smallest component (or line) that can be created using afabrication process) has decreased. This scaling down process generallyprovides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering theassociated costs. Such scaling down, however, has increased thecomplexity of IC processing and manufacturing. For example, as featuresize shrinks, the associated circuits become more sensitive tocontamination during the manufacturing process.

Cluster tools have been an important development in semiconductormanufacturing. By providing multiple tools within a single chassis,several manufacturing procedures can be performed on a semiconductorsubstrate without exposing it to the external environment with a largeamount of contaminants. The seals within the cluster tool can be used tocreate different atmospheric zones. For example, the process modules andthe central transfer chamber may operate in a vacuum while the load lockchambers and the substrate transport carrier operate in an inert gasatmosphere. Furthermore, because the substrate is not directly exposedto the fab environment, a less particle atmosphere can be maintainedaround the substrate while the rest of the fab operates with lessstringent controls.

Although systems and methods for processing semiconductor substrateshave been adequate for their intended purposes, they have not beenentirely satisfactory in all respects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and theadvantages of the present disclosure, reference is now made to thefollowing descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a semiconductor substrate processingsystem, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the orientation chamber in FIG. 1, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the orientation chamber in FIG. 1, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a simplified flowchart of a method of processing asemiconductor substrate, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a degassing process performed in theorientation chamber, in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the invention. Specificexamples of components and arrangements are described below to simplifythe present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and arenot intended to be limiting. For example, the formation of a firstfeature over or on a second feature in the description that follows mayinclude embodiments in which the first and second features are formed indirect contact, and may also include embodiments in which additionalfeatures may be formed between the first and second features, such thatthe first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition,the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters inthe various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicityand clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between thevarious embodiments and/or configurations discussed. Various featuresmay be arbitrarily drawn in different scales for the sake of simplicityand clarity.

Furthermore, spatially relative terms, such as “beneath,” “below,”“lower,” “above,” “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. The spatiallyrelative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted inthe figures. The apparatus may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degreesor at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors usedherein may likewise be interpreted accordingly. It should be understoodthat additional operations can be provided before, during, and after themethod, and some of the operations described can be replaced oreliminated for other embodiments of the method.

Referring to FIG. 1, in some embodiments, a semiconductor substrateprocessing system 10 is configured to process a substrate W. Thesubstrate W may include one or more semiconductor, conductor, and/orinsulator layers. The semiconductor layers may include an elementarysemiconductor such as silicon or germanium with a crystalline,polycrystalline, amorphous, and/or another suitable structure; acompound semiconductor including silicon carbide, gallium arsenic,gallium phosphide, indium phosphide, indium arsenide, and/or indiumantimonide; an alloy semiconductor including SiGe, GaAsP, AlInAs,AlGaAs, GaInAs, GaInP, and/or GaInAsP; any other suitable material;and/or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, combinations ofsemiconductors may take the form of a mixture or gradient such as asubstrate in which the ratio of Si and Ge vary across locations. In someembodiments, the substrate W may include layered semiconductors.Examples include the layering of a semiconductor layer on an insulatorsuch as that used to produce a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, asilicon-on-sapphire substrate, or a silicon-germanium-on-insulatorsubstrate, or the layering of a semiconductor on glass to produce a thinfilm transistor (TFT).

As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor substrate processing system 10 isa cluster tool, which includes a central transfer chamber 12 with atransfer mechanism 13 (e.g., a multi-axis robot manipulator), one ormore process modules 14, one or more load lock chambers 16, an equipmentfront end module (EFEM) 18 with a transfer mechanism 19 (e.g., amulti-axis robot manipulator), one or more load ports 20, and anorientation chamber 22. The central transfer chamber 12 connects to theprocess modules 14 and to the load lock chambers 16. This configurationallows the transfer mechanism 13 to transfer the substrate W between theprocess modules 14 and the load lock chambers 16. It should beunderstood that the elements of the semiconductor substrate processingsystem 10 can be added or omitted in different embodiments, and theinvention should not be limited by the embodiments.

The process modules 14 may be configured to perform variousmanufacturing procedures on the substrate W. Substrate manufacturingprocedures may include deposition processes such as physical vapordeposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhancedchemical vapor deposition (PECVD), electrochemical deposition (ECD),molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), atomic layer deposition (ALD) and/or otherdeposition processes; etching processes including wet and dry etchingand ion beam milling; lithographic exposure; ion implantation; thermalprocesses such as annealing and/or thermal oxidation; cleaning processessuch as rinsing and/or plasma ashing; chemical mechanical polishing orchemical mechanical planarizing (collectively “CMP”) processes; testing;any procedure involved in the processing of the substrate W; and/or anycombination of procedures. In some embodiments, each process module 14is used to perform a specific manufacturing procedure on the substrateW. In various embodiments, the substrate W may be processed by one ormore process modules 14 before being sent out of the semiconductorsubstrate processing system 10.

In some embodiments, the area of the semiconductor substrate processingsystem 10 defined by the central transfer chamber 12 and the processmodules 14 is sealed. Atmospheric controls, including filtering, providean environment with extremely low levels of particulates and airbornemolecular contamination (AMC), both of which may damage the substrate W.By creating a microenvironment within the semiconductor substrateprocessing system 10, the process modules 14 can be operated in acleaner environment than the surrounding facilities. This allows tightercontrol of contaminants during substrate processing at reduced cost.Although not shown, the process modules 14 and the central transferchamber 12 may operate in a vacuum by using a vacuum system duringsubstrate processing.

The load lock chambers 16 may preserve the atmosphere within the centraltransfer chamber 12 and process modules 14 by separating them from theEFEM 18. As shown in FIG. 1, each load lock chamber 16 includes twodoors, a first door 16A connecting to the central transfer chamber 12and a second door 16B connecting to the EFEM 18. The substrate W isinserted into a load lock chamber 16 and both doors are sealed. The loadlock chamber 16 is capable of creating an atmosphere compatible with theEFEM 18 or the central transfer chamber 12 depending on where the loadedsubstrate W is scheduled to be next. This may require altering the gascontent of the load lock chamber 16 by such mechanisms as addingpurified gases (or inert gases) or creating a vacuum, along with othersuitable means for adjusting the load lock chamber atmosphere. When thecorrect atmosphere has been reached, the corresponding door may beopened, and the substrate W can be accessed. In some embodiments, a loadlock chamber 16 may be configured to handle the unprocessed substrate Wonly, and another load lock chamber 16 may be configured to handle theprocessed substrate W.

The EFEM 18 may provide a closed environment in which to transfer thesubstrate W into and out of the semiconductor substrate processingsystem 10. The EFEM 18 contains the transfer mechanism 19 which performsthe physical transfer of the substrate W. In some embodiments, a gashandling system (not shown) may also be configured to generate a gasinterface B between the EFEM 18 and the load ports 20 to restrict theflow of air between the transport carriers 21 docked at the load ports20 and the EFEM 18 and reduce cross-contamination.

The substrate W is loaded into and out of the semiconductor substrateprocessing system 10 through the load ports 20. In some embodiments, thesubstrate W arrives at a load port 20 contained in a transport carrier21 such as a front-opening unified pod (FOUP), a front-opening shippingbox (FOSB), a standard mechanical interface (SMIF) pod, and/or anothersuitable container. The transport carrier 21 is a magazine for holdingone or more substrates W and for transporting substrates W betweendifferent manufacturing tools or working stations. In some embodiments,the transport carrier 21 may have features such as coupling locationsand electronic tags to facilitate use with an automated materialshandling system. The transport carrier 21 is sealed in order to providea microenvironment for the substrate W contained within and to protectthe substrate W and the semiconductor substrate processing system 10against contamination. To prevent loss of the controlled atmosphere, thetransport carrier 21 may have a door specially designed such that thetransport carrier 21 remains sealed until it is docked with the loadport 20. After being processed by one or more process modules 14, thesubstrate W may be transferred into another transport carrier 21 for theprocessed substrates W, which will be transported to the next processingsystem or inspection station.

The orientation chamber 22 may provide the function of orientating thesubstrate W prior to the subsequent manufacturing procedure(s). Forexample, in some embodiments shown in FIG. 1, the orientation chamber 22connects to the EFEM 18. After the loaded substrate W is properlyoriented in the orientation chamber 22 (through an orientationprocessing, which will be further described later), it can betransferred by the transfer mechanism 19 of the EFEM 18 to a load lockchamber 16, and then be transferred by the transfer mechanism 13 of thecentral transfer chamber 12 to one or more process modules 14 for themanufacturing procedures.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the orientation chamber 22 in FIG. 1,in accordance with some embodiments. It should be understood that someadditional elements can be added into the orientation chamber 22 indifferent embodiments, and some of the elements described below can bereplaced or eliminated in other embodiments of the orientation chamber22.

As shown in FIG. 2, a substrate holder 23 may be disposed in theorientation chamber 22 to hold the substrate W while the substrateorientation is being performed. In some embodiments, the substrateholder 23 holds or secures the substrate W on its support surface (e.g.,the shown upper surface) by vacuum force. However, other forces orclamping mechanisms can also be used in different embodiments. Moreover,a driving mechanism 24 may be coupled to the substrate holder 23 andconfigured to drive the substrate holder 23 and the substrate W thereonto rotate along a rotation shaft 23A. Accordingly, the substrate W isrotated during the orientation process.

An orientation detector 25 may also be disposed in the orientationchamber 22 and configured to detect the orientation of the substrate W.In some embodiments, the orientation detector 25 may detect a flat edgeor other orientation features (e.g., orientation notches) of thesubstrate W by an optical mechanism. For example, the orientationdetector 25 may include a light emitter and a light detector. The lightemitter emits a light toward the edge of the substrate W during rotationof the substrate W. The light detector can receive the light reflectedfrom the substrate W, thereby detecting the position of the flat edge orother orientation features of the substrate W. In some alternativeembodiments, the orientation detector 25 may be another type of opticalorientation detector, or the orientation detector 25 can detect theorientation of the substrate W by another suitable mechanism.

When the orientation detector 25 detects the flat edge or otherorientation features of the substrate W, it generates a position signaland sends the position signal to a controller 26 (e.g., a computer).According to the position signal, the controller 26 controls the drivingmechanism 24 to rotate the substrate holder 23 to a position where thesubstrate W is properly oriented for the subsequent manufacturingprocedure(s). Then, the substrate W is transferred from the orientationchamber 22 to the process module(s) 14 for processing.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG.2, the orientation chamber 22further includes a purging system 27 which is configured to inject acleaning gas C1 into the orientation chamber 22 and remove contaminantsfrom the orientation chamber 22. For example, the purging system 27 maybe configured to inject the cleaning gas C1 into the orientation chamber22 while the substrate orientation is being performed (i.e., during theorientation process) so as to remove particulate contaminants from thesubstrate W prior to the manufacturing procedure(s). The particulatecontaminants may come from the environment within the transport carrier21 and/or the EFEM 18. If the wafer W with particulate contaminantsenters the process module(s) 14, the particulate contaminants canadversely affect the results (e.g., yield) of the manufacturingprocedure(s).

In some embodiments, the purging system 27 may include a gas inlet pipe271 configured to inject the cleaning gas C1 into the orientationchamber 22 and a gas outlet pipe 272 configured to remove the cleaninggas C1 (as well as the contaminants) from the orientation chamber 22.For example, the gas inlet pipe 271 may extend or be disposed over thesubstrate holder 23 for directing the cleaning gas C1 onto the uppersurface of the substrate W, in some embodiments shown in FIG. 2. Atleast one gas source (not shown) can be fluidly connected to the gasinlet pipe 271 for supplying the cleaning gas C1. The gas outlet pipe272 may be connected to a wall portion of the orientation chamber 22 andbe located below the substrate holder 23 for exhausting the cleaning gasC1 flowing through the substrate W. An exhaust pump (not shown) isconnected to the gas outlet pipe 272 for discharging the cleaning gas C1at a constant flow rate. In some other embodiments, the position and/orquantity of the gas inlet pipe 271 and/or the gas outlet pipe 272 mayvary.

In some embodiments, the orientation chamber 22 may include a door 221(see FIG. 1) to physically separate the orientation chamber 22 from theEFEM 18. This allows the purge to be performed without contaminating theEFEM 18 or the rest of the semiconductor substrate processing system 10.In some other embodiments, the door 221 (and the gas outlet pipe 272)can be omitted, and the cleaning gas C1 can be exhausted by the gashandling system (not shown) connecting to the EFEM 18.

In some embodiments, the orientation chamber 22 may also be configuredto perform a degassing process (which will be further described later)prior to loading the substrate W out of the semiconductor substrateprocessing system 10. The degassing process is performed after thesubstrate W is processed by the process module(s) 14 and transferredback to the orientation chamber 22. During the degassing process, thesubstrate W can be fixedly held by the substrate holder 23 (i.e., itdoes not rotate), in some embodiments shown in FIG. 5.

To perform the degassing process, the purging system 27 (describedabove) can also be used (in similar way described above) to inject acleaning gas C2 into the orientation chamber 22 for removing halogen gas(also referred to as contaminants) from the substrate W, as shown inFIG. 5. Halogen-bearing compounds are commonly used in substratemanufacturing procedures. These include NF₃, CF₄, SF₆, CH₂F₂, CHF₃,C₂F₆, Cl₂, CHCl₃, CCl₄, BCl₃, HBr, CHBr₃, and/or others. These compoundshave the potential to adhere directly to the substrate W. In addition,the halogen may separate from the compound and bond with the substrateW. Bound halogens have the potential to outgas later and contaminateother substrates and tools.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, a gas detector 28 is disposedin the orientation chamber 22 to detect compounds outgassed from thesubstrate W. The gas detector 28 may be used to detect a specifichalogen including fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and/or acombination thereof. Moreover, the gas detector 28 generates a detectionsignal in response to the content of the specific halogen outgassed fromthe substrate W, and sends the detection signal to the controller 26.According to the detection signal, the controller 26 controls a gasregulator 273 (e.g., a throttle valve or a gas pressure controller) thatis installed on the gas inlet pipe 271 to adjust the volume of cleaninggas C2 supplied into the orientation chamber 22 such that the cleaninggas volume is sufficient to remove the halogen gas from the substrate W.

Although the gas detector 28 is placed at the bottom of the orientationchamber 22 in the present embodiments, it can also be disposed at othersuitable locations within the orientation chamber 22 in differentembodiments. In addition, multiple gas detectors 28 can also be used.

Referring to FIG. 3, in some other embodiments, an energy source 29 isfurther configured to provide energy to the substrate W to acceleratethe outgassing of chemicals (i.e., halogens) on the substrate W. Theenergy source 29 may be an ultraviolet light source, a microwaveemitter, a plasma generator, a heating mechanism, and/or anothersuitable energy source. In some embodiments, the energy source 29 may bedisposed within the controlled environment of the orientation chamber22, as shown in FIG. 3. In some alternative embodiments, the energysource 29 may be located outside the controlled environment andseparated by a permeable barrier so that the energy source 29 can beserviced without contaminating the controlled environment.

As an example of a degassing process, the substrate W may be treatedwith ultraviolet light or microwaves via the energy source 29. Thehalogen gas is released from the substrate W and evacuated through thegas outlet pipe 272. In another example, the substrate may be heated viathe energy source 29 to a temperature of not less than 100° C., andpreferably between about 100° C. and 250° C. in a vacuum of <100 Torr.The heat and vacuum combine to draw the halogen gas from the substrateW. As a further example, the gas inlet pipe 271 may expose the substrateW to H₂. The energy source 29 in the form of a plasma generator createsH ions from H₂. Halogens bound to the substrate W reacts to form a gaswhich can be removed through the gas outlet pipe 272.

In some embodiments, the gas detector 28 sends a stop signal to thecontroller 26 when the specific halogen is no longer detected. Then, thecontroller 26 controls the gas regulator 273 or the purging system 27 tostop injecting the cleaning gas C2. Afterwards, the cleaned substrate Wis transferred from the orientation chamber 22 to the transport carrier21 by the transfer mechanism 19.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, which is a simplified flowchart of a method100 of processing a semiconductor substrate using the semiconductorsubstrate processing system 10 described above, in accordance with someembodiments. For illustration, the flow chart will be described alongwith the drawings shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 5. Some of the describedoperations can be replaced or eliminated in different embodiments.Alternatively, some operations may be added in different embodiments.The method 100 includes a number of operations, such as operations 101,102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109.

In operation 101, the semiconductor substrate processing system 10receives a substrate W (to be processed) contained within a transportcarrier 21, and the transport carrier 21 is docked to a load port 20, asshown in FIG. 1.

In operation 102, the substrate W is removed from the transport carrier21 by the transfer mechanism 19 of the EFEM 18 and inserted into theorientation chamber 22, as shown in FIG. 1.

In operation 103, a purging process is performed while a substrateorientation is being performed in the orientation chamber 22, as shownin FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the substrate orientation is performedby positioning the substrate W on the substrate holder 23 disposed inthe orientation chamber 22; rotating the substrate holder 23 and thesubstrate W thereon by the driving mechanism 24; detecting anorientation, such as a flat edge or other orientation features, of thesubstrate W by the orientation detector 25 during the rotation of thesubstrate W; and according to the position signal output from theorientation detector 25, controlling the substrate holder 23, by thecontroller 26, to rotate to a position where the substrate W is properlyoriented for the subsequent manufacturing procedure(s).

In some embodiments, in the process of substrate orientation, thepurging process is simultaneously performed by injecting a cleaning gasinto the orientation chamber 22, and removing the cleaning gas from theorientation chamber 22. For example, in some embodiments (see FIG. 2),the purging system 27 injects or directs a first cleaning gas C1 ontothe upper surface of the substrate W through the gas inlet pipe 271, anddischarges the first cleaning gas C1 out of the orientation chamber 22through the gas outlet pipe 272. Accordingly, a flow of the firstcleaning gas C1 passing through the upper surface of the substrate Wremoves particulate contaminants from the substrate W prior to thesubsequent manufacturing procedure(s), thereby improving the performanceof the manufacturing procedure(s). In addition, because the purgingprocess is performed simultaneously with the substrate orientation, andtime is saved.

In some embodiments, the first cleaning gas C1 (supplied during theorientation process) may be an inert gas such as N₂, Argon, and/or othernoble gases; a reactive gas such as O₃, O₂, NO, water vapor, and/orclean dry air (CDA); other suitable purge gases; and/or any combinationthereof.

In some embodiments, the first cleaning gas C1 is supplied or injectedat a flow rate sufficient to remove the particulate contaminants fromthe substrate W. For example, the flow rate of the first cleaning gas C1injected into the orientation chamber 22 may be between about 10 sccmand about 2000 sccm. In one particular example, the first cleaning gasC1 is CDA that flows over the upper surface of the substrate W at a flowrate of between about 100 sccm and about 1000 sccm.

In operation 104, the oriented substrate W is transferred to a processmodule 14. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the orientedsubstrate W is transferred by the transfer mechanism 19 of the EFEM 18to a load lock chamber 16, and then be transferred by the transfermechanism 13 of the central transfer chamber 12 to a process module 14.It should be understood that many variations and modifications can bemade to embodiments of the disclosure.

In operation 105, a manufacturing procedure is performed on thesubstrate W in the process module 14. In some embodiments, as shown inFIG. 1, if another manufacturing procedure is desired in another processmodule 14, the transfer mechanism 13 of the central transfer chamber 12will transfer the substrate W to another process module 14 for furtherprocessing. If not, then the processed substrate W is transferred by thetransfer mechanism 13 to a lock chamber 16, and then be transferred bythe transfer mechanism 19 back to the orientation chamber 22, inoperation 106. It should be understood that many variations andmodifications can be made to embodiments of the disclosure.

In operation 107, the gas detector 28 disposed in the orientationchamber 22 detects compounds outgassed from the substrate W. In someembodiments, the gas detector 28 may be used to detect a specifichalogen including fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and/or acombination thereof. If no specific halogen is detected, the gasdetector 28 sends a transfer signal to the controller 26 (see FIG. 2).Then, the controller 26 controls the transfer mechanism 19 (via anundrawn connecting means) to transfer the substrate W to anothertransport carrier 21 located at another load port 20, in operation 108.In various embodiments, after the transport carrier 21 is filled withthe processed substrates W, it can be transported to the next processingsystem or inspection station.

If the specific halogen is detected, the gas detector 28 sends a purgesignal to the controller 26. Then, the controller 26 controls thepurging system 27 (via an undrawn connecting means) to inject a secondcleaning C2 gas into the orientation chamber 22 through the gas inletpipe 271 and discharge the second cleaning gas C2 out of the orientationchamber 22 through the gas outlet pipe 272 to perform the degassingprocess (see FIG. 5), in operation 109. The flow of the second cleaninggas C2 passing through the upper surface of the substrate W removeshalogen gas from the substrate W. In some embodiments, the substrate Wis fixedly held by the substrate holder 23 (i.e., it does not rotate)during the degassing process, as shown in FIG. 5.

In some embodiments, the second cleaning gas C2 (supplied during thedegassing process) may be an inert gas such as N₂, Argon, and/or othernoble gases; a reactive gas such as O₃, O₂, NO, water vapor, and/orclean dry air (CDA); other suitable purge gases; and/or any combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the supplied second cleaning gas C2 isdifferent from the first cleaning gas C1 (supplied during the substrateorientation). In one particular example, the purging system 27 mayinject an inert gas or a reactive gas into the orientation chamber 22 toremove halogen gas from the substrate W during the degassing process(while the purging system 27 injects CDA into the orientation chamber 22to remove particulate contaminants from the substrate W during thesubstrate orientation). However, the supplied second cleaning gas C2 andfirst cleaning gas C1 can be the same type of gas in some alternativeembodiments.

In some embodiments, the gas detector 28 further generates a detectionsignal in response to the content of the specific halogen outgassed fromthe substrate W, and sends the detection signal to the controller 26.According to the detection signal, the controller 26 controls the gasregulator 273 installed on the gas inlet pipe 271 to adjust the volumeof second cleaning gas C2 supplied into the orientation chamber 22.

In some embodiments, the supplied volume of second cleaning gas C2 isadjusted so that it is sufficient to remove the halogen gas from thesubstrate W. For example, a sufficient length of time for the secondcleaning gas C2 to flow over the upper surface of the substrate W may beabout 30 seconds when the flow rate of the second cleaning gas C2injected into the orientation chamber 22 is between about 100 sccm andabout 5000 sccm, which is equal to or greater than the flow rate of thefirst cleaning gas C1. In one particular example, the second cleaninggas C2 is an inert gas (e.g., N₂) that flows over the upper surface ofthe substrate W at a flow rate of between about 100 sccm and about 1000sccm. In another particular example, the second cleaning gas C2 is areactive gas (e.g., O₂) that flows over the upper surface of thesubstrate W at a flow rate of between about 100 sccm and about 5000sccm.

In some embodiments, an energy source 29 is further configured toprovide energy to the substrate W to accelerate the outgassing ofchemicals (i.e., halogens) on the substrate W, as shown in FIG. 3. Theenergy source 29 may be an ultraviolet light source, a microwaveemitter, a plasma generator, a heating mechanism, and/or anothersuitable energy source. After the halogen gas is released from thesubstrate W, it can be removed from the orientation chamber 22 throughthe gas outlet pipe 272.

In some embodiments, the gas detector 28 sends a stop signal to thecontroller 26 when the specific halogen is no longer detected. Then, thecontroller 26 controls the gas regulator 273 or the purging system 27 tostop injecting the cleaning gas C2. Afterwards, also under the controlof the controller 26, the cleaned substrate W is transferred from theorientation chamber 22 to the transport carrier 21 by the transfermechanism 19, in operation 108. After the transport carrier 21 is filledwith the processed substrates W, it can be transported to the nextprocessing system or inspection station in some embodiments.

The embodiments of the present disclosure have some advantageousfeatures: the purge system provided to the orientation chamber caninject a cleaning gas into the orientation chamber to removecontaminants from the substrate. In some embodiments, the purge systemmay perform a purging process to remove particular contaminants on thesubstrate while the substrate orientation is being performed.Accordingly, the performance of the manufacturing procedure(s) performedafter the substrate orientation can be improved, and time is saved.Alternatively or additionally, the purge system may cooperate with thegas detector to perform a degassing process to remove halogen gases fromthe substrate before the substrate is sent back to the transportationcarrier. Accordingly, it can prevent the halogen gases outgassed fromthe substrate from contaminating other substrates and tools. As aresult, the yield of the semiconductor substrate processing system isfurther improved. Furthermore, since the orientation chamber describedabove has a degassing function, no additional degassing chamber isrequired.

In some embodiments, an orientation chamber of a semiconductor substrateprocessing system is provided. The orientation chamber includes asubstrate holder, an orientation detector, and a purging system. Thesubstrate holder is configured to hold a substrate. The orientationdetector is configured to detect the orientation of the substrate. Thepurging system is configured to inject a cleaning gas into theorientation chamber and remove contaminants from the substrate.

In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate is provided. Themethod includes providing a semiconductor substrate processing systemfor substrate processing which includes an orientation chamber and aprocess module. The method further includes orienting the substrate inthe orientation chamber. The method further includes processing thesubstrate in the process module. The method also includes transferringthe processed substrate from the process module to the orientationchamber. In addition, the method includes conducting a degassing processin the orientation chamber.

In some embodiments, a method of processing a substrate is provided. Themethod includes providing a semiconductor substrate processing systemfor substrate processing which includes an orientation chamber and aprocess module. The method further includes orienting the substrate inthe orientation chamber. The method further includes injecting a firstcleaning gas into the orientation chamber to remove particulatecontaminants on the substrate while orienting the substrate in theorientation chamber. The method further includes processing thesubstrate in the process module. The method also includes transferringthe processed substrate from the process module to the orientationchamber. In addition, the method includes injecting a second cleaninggas into the orientation chamber to remove halogen gas outgassed fromthe processed substrate.

Although embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages havebeen described in detail, it should be understood that various changes,substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims. For example, it will be readily understood by those skilled inthe art that many of the features, functions, processes, and materialsdescribed herein may vary while remaining within the scope of thepresent disclosure. Moreover, the scope of the present application isnot intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the process,machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods and stepsdescribed in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art willreadily appreciate from the disclosure of the present disclosure,processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means,methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, thatperform substantially the same function or achieve substantially thesame result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may beutilized according to the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appendedclaims are intended to include within their scope such processes,machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.In addition, each claim constitutes a separate embodiment, and thecombination of various claims and embodiments are within the scope ofthe disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An orientation chamber, comprising: a substrateholder configured to hold a substrate; an orientation detectorconfigured to detect an orientation of the substrate; and a purgingsystem configured to inject a cleaning gas into the orientation chamberand remove contaminants from the substrate.
 2. The orientation chamberas claimed in claim 1, wherein the purging system comprises a gas inletpipe configured to inject the cleaning gas into the orientation chamberand direct the cleaning gas to the substrate.
 3. The orientation chamberas claimed in claim 2, wherein the purging system further comprises agas outlet pipe configured to remove the cleaning gas from theorientation chamber.
 4. The orientation chamber as claimed in claim 2,wherein the purging system further comprises a gas regulator installedon the gas inlet pipe and configured to adjust a volume of the cleaninggas supplied into the orientation chamber.
 5. The orientation chamber asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the gas regulator adjusts the volume of thecleaning gas supplied into the orientation chamber according to adetection signal output from a gas detector which indicates a content ofa specific gas contaminant outgassed from the substrate.
 6. Theorientation chamber as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cleaning gas isselected from a group consisting of inert gas, reactive gas, and cleandry air.
 7. The orientation chamber as claimed in claim 1, furthercomprising an energy source configured to provide energy to thesubstrate to accelerate an outgassing of chemicals on the substrate. 8.The orientation chamber as claimed in claim 1, further comprising adriving mechanism configured to drive the substrate holder to rotate thesubstrate according to a position signal output from the orientationdetector.
 9. A method of processing a substrate, comprising: providing asemiconductor substrate processing system for substrate processing whichincludes an orientation chamber and a process module; orienting thesubstrate in the orientation chamber; processing the substrate in theprocess module; transferring the processed substrate from the processmodule to the orientation chamber; and conducting a degassing process inthe orientation chamber.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 9, whereinthe degassing process is conducted by injecting a first cleaning gasinto the orientation chamber to remove a halogen gas outgassed from theprocessed substrate.
 11. The method as claimed in claim 10, furthercomprising a step of injecting the cleaning gas into the orientationchamber by a purging system in the orientation chamber.
 12. The methodas claimed in claim 10, further comprising a step of detecting aspecific halogen within the orientation chamber before the degassingprocess is conducted.
 13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein thedegassing process is conducted by further adjusting a volume of thefirst cleaning gas injected into the orientation chamber so that it issufficient to remove the halogen gas from the processed substrate. 14.The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising a step ofproviding energy to the substrate to accelerate the outgassing of thehalogen gas on the substrate during the degassing process, by an energysource provide to the orientation chamber.
 15. The method as claimed inclaim 14, wherein the energy source is selected from a group consistingof an ultraviolet light source, a microwave emitter, a plasma generator,and a heating mechanism.
 16. The method as claimed in claim 9, furthercomprising a step of conducting a purging process on the substrate whileorienting the substrate in the orientation chamber.
 17. The method asclaimed in claim 16, wherein the purging process is conducted byinjecting a second cleaning gas into the orientation chamber to removeparticulate contaminants on the substrate.
 18. A method of processing asubstrate, comprising: providing a semiconductor substrate processingsystem for substrate processing which includes an orientation chamberand a process module; orienting the substrate in the orientationchamber; injecting a first cleaning gas into the orientation chamber toremove particulate contaminants on the substrate while orienting thesubstrate in the orientation chamber; processing the substrate in theprocess module; transferring the processed substrate from the processmodule to the orientation chamber; and injecting a second cleaning gasinto the orientation chamber to remove halogen gas outgassed from theprocessed substrate.
 19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein aflow rate of the first cleaning gas injected into the orientationchamber is different from a flow rate of the second cleaning gasinjected into the orientation chamber.
 20. The method as claimed inclaim 18, wherein the first cleaning gas is different from the secondcleaning gas.